Cuba Under Siege

What It Covers

NYT reporter Lynsea Garrison documents daily life in Havana through 25-year-old Gustavo Torres Armis, who describes how Trump's maximum pressure campaign — including an oil embargo and economic sanctions beginning January 2025 — has collapsed Cuba's power grid, water supply, transportation, and food distribution systems.

Key Questions Answered

• •Water scarcity scale: Havana residents lack running water approximately six out of seven mornings. Those on upper floors must carry buckets from basement cisterns five or more times per morning just to wash and prepare for work. The crisis compounds three simultaneous failures: a regional drought, infrastructure dating to the 1930s, and electricity outages that disable water pumps entirely.
• •Transportation collapse since January 2025: Havana's public bus network has functionally ceased operating since January. The only transit option crossing the city's main tunnel is a bicycle-cargo bus. A tunnel taxi now costs 700–1,000 pesos — up to one-third of Gustavo's 3,600-peso monthly salary — triple what the same ride cost before Trump's sanctions took effect.
• •Fuel-driven cascading failures: Cuba's complete depletion of oil, diesel, and aviation fuel triggers simultaneous secondary crises: garbage trucks stop running, trash accumulates street-level, residents burn waste in dense urban areas, mosquito-borne diseases including dengue and chikungunya spread without fuel for extermination equipment, and medicine shortages prevent treatment of resulting illness.
• •Household income versus food costs: A three-person household in Havana earns a combined 13,600 pesos monthly. One pound of sugar now costs 800 pesos — roughly 6% of total household income for a single staple — and prices increased week-over-week. Cooking oil, coffee, cigarettes, and rice face chronic shortages, forcing families to monitor state bodegas daily for irregular deliveries.
• •Electricity inequality within Cuba: Havana residents with underground electrical infrastructure maintain near-continuous power, while citizens in provinces like Camagüey average two hours of electricity daily — sometimes zero for 24–48 consecutive hours. Power arrives unpredictably, including at 2 AM, forcing residents to run washing machines and complete household tasks immediately regardless of the hour.